Don't Change
by PenguinDust
Summary: 3 years after Fry had left the year 3000, Leela travels back to Fry's time to reveal her feelings for him. But Fry isn't exactly the same Fry she once knew...
1. Chapter 1

_A/N_

_Hello! This is my second fanfic and my first Futurama fanfic (I'm pretty sure it won't be my last, though ;) ). **Don't Change** is a short fanfic written about the prospect of Fry leaving the year 3000 and how love may or may not transcend time. Please read and review. Constructive criticism is welcome._

_Enjoy!_

_-PenguinDust_

* * *

Don't Change- Chapter 1

These streets, this world, felt so cold, so lonely. Leela shivered and tried to keep her hood up, so that no one would notice her eye. She didn't know how she got here, Fry's world, the 21st century, but she knew she needed to find him. And tell him. Tell him everything.

When he left, everyone cried. And not long afterwards, the Planet Express crew broke apart. Everyone went their seperate ways. Leela hadn't talked to Bender or the professor for months. He was swept from the 30th century so fast, they didn't know what was going on. Fry tried to stay, he didn't want to leave his home. Fry fit in here, with weirdos and monsters, Fry wasn't afraid of this new world. In fact, he embraced it. He found people who liked him, a best friend, and a girl he loved. Who wouldn't be happy with that? Leela bit her lip as she thought of how she rejected him.

Was she scared of falling in love with Fry, with someone with so many flaws? But when he left, she realized how much she loved him. She learned to accept his good and bad qualities. She loved his honesty and big heart. She even loved how he constantly messed up, his naivete, and even his stupidity. She needed to tell him how she felt. And this was her oppurtunity.

Leela smiled, would Fry be happy that she finally reciprocated his feelings? Her heartbeat started accelerating and Leela began to walk a little faster. _I have so much to tell you, Fry._

"This is the place..." Leela double-checked the little slip of paper. When Leela helped Bender clean out Fry's room, she found a piece of paper with his adress. Leela installed it in her mind, she wanted to see him so badly. And now, she was finally here. Leela knocked on the door and took a deep breath. How would Fry react to see her here? She closed her eye and heard the door creak open.

"Hello?" Fry asked. Leela smiled; Fry seemed like the same old Fry.

"Fry!" Leela took her hood off and hugged him tightly. She held his hands, they were so warm. She wanted to stay like this forever. But suddenly, Fry pushed her away. Instead of returning the hug, he shook her hand. Leela gave him an incredulous look.

"Um...hi Leela." Fry answered, simultaneously nervous and suprised. It wasn't the kind of reply Leela was expecting to get, but then she noticed the blond woman sitting on his couch. Leela clamped her mouth shut; something was wrong here. She was gaping at Leela with disgust and glared harshly at her.

"Leela...meet my fiancée, Carrie..." Fry said, trailing off. Carrie continued to glare at Leela, but then finally spoke,

"How do you know Fry, you one-eyed freak?" She asked, without taking her eyes of Leela. Her voice was cold, almost metallic.

Fry seemed to be uncomfortable, eyeing both his soon-to-be wife and crush from the past (or more correctly future). He then asked Leela,

"How about we go for a walk?"

* * *

Leela and Fry sat in Central Park, isolated from everyone else. They stared into the orange sunlight, neither one talking. 

"So, how is everyone?" Fry asked, breaking the silence.

Leela shrugged, and said,

"I don't know...I haven't talked to those guys in a while. After you left, Planet Express shut down. But I'm sure...I'm sure everyone misses you a lot. I missed you." She added.

"Why did you come here? Or better yet, _how_ did you come here?" Fry said, still staring into the vast sky. It was getting late, Leela thought she might as well get out with it.

"Umm...I'm not really sure how I got here. I woke up, and I asked some guy what day it was. He said it was May 1st, 2004. And then he ran away," She laughed and noticed that Fry smiled too,

"But I came here for you."

"What?" Fry gave her a confused look.

"I...love you, Fry."

Fry looked at her with disbelief and then laughed. Leela noticed his laugh lacked the good-heartedness that it once had. He turned to look at her with an impish grin.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, Fry. I'm serious. When you left...when you left, I realized...that I wanted to be with you. I was scared, Fry, I thought that...you needed to be perfect...but then, you wouldn't be you. And I love _you_, Fry. I love everything about you. It's all very confusing, but I know that these feelings won't go away...my heart beat so fast when I think about you."

"This sounds really mushy, doesn't it?" Leela blushed, trying to make Fry smile.

But Fry kept staring into space, seemingly unfazed. His eyes didn't have the energetic spark they used to have. He looked at Leela dully, and said,

"I don't think...I don't love you anymore."

* * *

_End of Chapter 1. **Don't Change** will be concluded in chapter 2, which is coming soon. I hope you enjoyed it!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello again!_

_Don't Change is going to conclude in this chapter. This was a short story I wrote, so I'm sorry it's a little short ;. Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciated the feedback. _

_-PenguinDust_

_P.S. I'm sure this a bit mushy for some. Heh, it's probably the mushiest story I've ever written. Also, last time I forgot to say that "I don't own Futurama" crud. Well, it's obvious I don't. But I do own this story, and if anyone rips it off in anyway, you are lower than scum. _

* * *

_"I don't think...I don't love you anymore."_

Fry's words stung. What did he mean, he didn't love her anymore? Wasn't Fry the one persistently pursuing her, no matter how many times he was rejected?

Leela frowned. "But...but..."

Fry looked at her with a sad, but spiteful smile.

"When I came home, my family didn't believe me. They didn't believe I went to the 30th century or that I made friends with a robot, a cyclops...they told me to go to a therapist." He said quietly.

"And then I realized, that you, that everything there was an illusion. I was such a kid...it was just a fantasy world where I could escape. I didn't belong here, so I created something that I could belong in."

"But, Fry, I'm real!"

He ignored her and continued,

"I told myself, that the best way to get rid of my memory there was to forget. It was hard at first, but I started to forget everything. All the adventure and the friends I made...and then you came." He said, as if it was Leela's fault. Leela shook her head.

"No, Fry. You can't forget me. I won't forget you! I love you! I really do Fry, I--"

"DON'T YOU THINK IT'S A LITTLE TOO LATE!?" Fry interrupted, his face turning tomato red.

Leela was taken aback, she never saw him that angry. and kept her mouth shut. Fry looked at her, his face twisted from a mixture of melancholy and pain.

"I'm sorry...but I think...I just loved you because I was lonely...I got attached. I'm sorry, but I love someone else now. Carrie, she's great isn't she?" Fry tried to change the mood around, but to no avail.

"Oh, yeah. Definitely." Leela muttered sarcastically, avoiding his glance.

"She didn't mean what she said, Leela. Carrie's really nice, honestly. We get along so well. But you and I, well, we weren't so compatible. For starters, I have two and you have one..." Fry looked at her like it was a joke. She glared at him. Wasn't it him who told her that she didn't need two eyes, because she was beautiful anyway? And even when they met, Fry never made fun of Leela's eye. Fry took a deep breath and continued,

"Leela, I just don't think...I think we should move on. I'm not the same person I was three years ago. I grew up, I decided to stop acting so childish, so stupid. And I'm a better man for it."

"..."

"You understand, don't you?"

"...No, I don't, Fry. You said you loved me. Even when I rejected you, you kept on pursuing me. You never gave up, no matter how many times I told you I only saw you as a friend. I'm sorry I hurt you before, I was just confused, I wasn't sure about starting a relationship with you. But, finally, I see that I loved you all along. Maybe it is too late, but that won't change my feelings for you. I love you no matter what, even if you've changed...because I know that you're the same Fry I know and love inside." Leela looked at him boldly. Fry was silent, though he seemed a bit suprised at her uncharacteristic speech.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Leela." He left her alone in Central Park. Leela gazed at him, as he walked slowly into New York's bustling metropolis. Soon, Fry was just another color in it's palette.

She couldn't move. Leela finally had told him but had accomplished nothing. She was in pain, not a physical pain, but a pain that immobilized her. A pain that made her heart heavy. She wanted to cry, but no tears would come out. Leela sat on a park bench, contemplating her silence. She stared into the vibrant sunset that might have looked pretty some other day. Yes, some other day.

Leela woke up in her own bedroom, her eyes wincing from the light that escaped from her blinds. She sighed, another mystery that surrounded her. She didn't question her sudden appearance back home, though. Leela thought, she might as well be here. Fry didn't want her with him.

She felt something warm endowing her and turned to see something familiar to her. It was Fry's red jacket, the one he wore everyday. She held it tightly to her chest, it was so warm. Fry would always be with her now, she smiled sadly. But Leela didn't want him to live on in a piece of clothing, she wanted to be near him, to be able to embrace him.

The bitter feeling of loneliness crept upon her again but she suddenly had the urge to look into his pocket. There was a photograph there, one of her, Fry, and Bender. She half-smiled, hoping he thought of them sometimes. She flipped the photograph over, which revealed a note from Fry in his surprisingly-neat handwriting. It said:

"Leela—I have to tell you something. I love you. I love you very much. I think about you every single day, sometimes you're all I think about. I miss the future. Living back in old N.Y. sucks. I tried to tell people about 3000...but nobody believed me. So I started to try and pretend it was all a dream...

But I know it was real; I know you're real. I know you don't love me the way I love you, but someday, I'm going to go back. Whatever it takes, I'm going to the place I belong. With you.

In the meantime...maybe this photo will travel through time or something...I could always...huh...

--Love, Fry."

Leela sat for a minute, and then put the photo on her nightstand. Today was a new day, inviting and exciting. The sunshine had never looked brighter. Leela decided she needed to talk to the professor; she has plans to discuss. As the door opened, Leela's eye widened. Ah yes, the sunshine was never brighter.

* * *

_So, how did you like chapter 2? The end wasn't concrete, infact many elements of DChange weren't, but don't get mad, this is how it was planned to be. Did Fry appear at her door, or maybe the light just got in her eye? I'd like to hear what you thought the ending was or was like, please review._

_Thank you,_

_PenguinDust_


End file.
